La Aurora Barrel Aged Robusto

La Aurora is the oldest cigar made in the Dominican Republic, using tobacco grown in the same fields of the Cibao Valley for over three generations—a testament to its consistency. In fact, La Auroras are not only the bestselling brand in the country, the brand is considered a national treasure down there. Those who have discovered this brand know it as a smooth and "steady workhorse" of a cigar—well constructed and always dependable and delicious. The La Aurora Barrel Aged Robusto is being hailed as one of La Aurora’s finest to date and was created by famed cigar master Jose Blanco. The secret to this one of a kind cigar is the aging process where all the tobaccos, including the wrapper, have been aged in oak barrels that were formally used to age Dominican rum for approximately four years! If that wasn’t enough, the Dominican Corojo wrapper has been through several different fermentation processes to get that rich and dark maduro shade. This impressive wrapper holds a Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers which give this handmade hints of sweet spice upon first light and towards the nub, with a rich, chewy, and toasty bouquet in between. Slow and cool burning, this medium to full bodied smokes pairs best with spiced rum.

Dominican Cigars

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.